Dia de los Muertos—or Day of the Dead—is an often misunderstood holiday in the United States. Many believe this Mexican celebration is related to Halloween. While there are similarities, the two holidays originate from different sources. Our History of Halloween article, explains how Samhain—an ancient Celtic festival—evolved over thousands of years into the costumes and trick-or-treating we participate in today. Dia de los Muetos ,
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People have been celebrating Halloween—or some version of it—for more than 2,000 years. Today, many mistakenly associate this Americanized holiday with Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). However, that is not quite true. The roots of Halloween reach much farther back, to Western Europe B.C.E. The Original Halloween Halloween originates from the Celtic New Year festival, Samhain (sow-in). The Celts, who lived during
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What marks a new year? Across most of the Western world, parties leading up to midnight of January 1st celebrate a new calendar year. Often, the first day of school in September marks a new year. In the business world, fiscal years can begin and end at any time. For the Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah is the two-day religious festival that honors the Jewish New
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We all look forward to that long weekend at the beginning of September. The one that celebrates Labor Day… or is it Memorial Day? Labor Day is the first Monday in September; it is a federal holiday that is often celebrated with day-drinking and barbecues. For a lot of people, it’s really just a long weekend. But, do you know why we get this extra
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As Easter approaches, many of us start thinking about our Easter dinners. When I was a kid, my grandmother always prepped our Easter ham by covering the outside of it with pineapple rings secured to it with toothpicks and putting a Maraschino cherry in the center of each ring and then studding it with whole cloves. She would then bake it in the oven with
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With the future filled with so much uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a great chance that we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in a completely different manner than we have ever before. While changing our customary ways of celebrating the holiday is an annoyance, many local businesses have endured financial hardship under the strain of the pandemic. So, in addition to celebrating the
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Pittsburgh’s First Christmas If those who first settled the city and lived at Fort Pitt in the 1750s got in a time machine and came forward to the future at Christmas, they’d be shocked at all the merriment and decorations. In 1758, Pittsburgh’s first Christmas was a particularly bleak one. Just one month earlier, the French had abandoned Fort Duquesne, burning it to the ground,
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It happened every day in parking lots all over Pittsburgh, unnoticed except for those involved in the exchange. It took place unbidden or without prompting, and it is what I liked to call the Aldi Quarter Courtesy. I don’t know if this is just a phenomenon in our area or if it happens in all Aldi’s parking lots, but if you don’t know what I’m
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No matter if you are young or old, when Halloween rolls around, you still like a treat. Below are 13 ideas for Halloween goodies that are sure to make your Halloween spook-tacular. Banana Ghosts Not all treats have to be unhealthy. Peel bananas and cut the banana in half. Press two mini chocolate chips into the pointy end of the banana to make a ghost.
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In February of 2019, aisles filled with heart-shaped chocolate boxes and frilly, cards of romantic exclamations were missing a Valentine’s Day staple. The long-beloved Sweethearts failed to grace the shelves of grocery stores and supermarkets across America, as their production was halted in 2018 when Spangler acquired their producer, the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO). Nevertheless, the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder”
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